Facebook firestorm

Judgment can be swift in digital age

When Jamie Schuh snapped a photograph of her friend, Lindsey Stone, making an obscene gesture at Arlington National Cemetery, we suspect that the last thing on their minds was that their thoughtless act would cost them their jobs. When they decided to post the photograph on Facebook, they opened themselves up to a level of scrutiny and wrath that no doubt took them both by surprise.

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capecodtimes.com

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Posted Dec. 1, 2012 at 2:05 AM

Posted Dec. 1, 2012 at 2:05 AM

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When Jamie Schuh snapped a photograph of her friend, Lindsey Stone, making an obscene gesture at Arlington National Cemetery, we suspect that the last thing on their minds was that their thoughtless act would cost them their jobs. When they decided to post the photograph on Facebook, they opened themselves up to a level of scrutiny and wrath that no doubt took them both by surprise.

This past week, the pair lost their jobs with Living Independently Forever, or LIFE, the nonprofit organization that had sponsored their trip to Washington, D.C. The Cape-based organization operates assisted living facilities for the disabled, including many veterans.

Representatives from LIFE have expressed outrage over Schuh and Stone's actions, and did not say whether the pair left on their own volition or were fired. There is little doubt, however, that if they did not choose to leave, that the decision would likely have been taken out of their hands.

Ten years ago perhaps, these two young women would have taken the same picture with a camera rather than a smart phone and showed the image to a few family members and friends. They would have perhaps offended some of their relations, but that would likely have been the extent of it.

Their decision to take the photograph at all demonstrates a lack of respect and courtesy for what Arlington represents. The fact that they created the image while on a company trip to the nation's capital with six other LIFE employees and 40 residents shows a deficiency in terms of business decorum and professionalism. Finally, their choice to post the image on Facebook reveals an astounding absence of empathy for the very population that LIFE serves.

For its part, LIFE faced a firestorm of negative publicity and an unenviable choice, but acted in a clear and decisive way that demonstrated where it stood on the issue. There is little doubt that this was an isolated incident and that it in no way reflects the good work that the organization performs.

Less certain is where this incident leaves Schuh and Stone. In two separate split-second decisions, they created an indelible imprint on their present and their future. Is it fair that they live in its shadow indefinitely? No. But to post after the fact, as Stone and Schuh did, that they meant no disrespect is a classic case of too little too late. Whether and when the public, or more importantly, would-be future employers will be ready to forgive their transgressions remains unknown.

Most of us have said or done something that we wish we had not. We are fallible creatures and sometimes unintentionally act in a manner that runs contradictory to both who we would like to be and who we truly are. In today's world of the public electronic diaries that pass for social media, where every detail about our personal lives can be made public without due consideration, the story of Stone and Schuh should serve as a cautionary tale, reminding us that sometimes not everything should be shared.